Hi guys! I'm glad everyone is back and ready to continue the story of Dick and Damian. This chapter doesn't have too much action but it does have plenty of fluff and conflict between the two brothers. Hope you enjoy.
The next night the family returned earlier than usual due to Bruce's date coming over for dinner. Bruce had told them to stay in their rooms until she was gone. The 'adoption' process had not been completed yet and Damian was to remain a secret. Damian refused to stay in his room all night and snuck downstairs. He secretly hated that his 'brother' could roam the world as he wished and he was forced to be a good boy and be locked in his own home. After sneaking into the library, he found Dick reading a book.
"Hello Grayson."
"Why do you still call me that? I've told you for two years to just call me Dick. But I doubt you'll listen to me this time."
"And I've told you before that's how I was taught to greet people. The assassins lived by the old ways hence why I call Father Father."
"Can't you just call him dad?"
"That is not acceptable. Why don't you call him dad?"
"Me? Well…I'm not really Bruce's son and I don't want to make him uncomfortable. That and I don't want to disappoint my real dad."
"That didn't stop you when you were six. How could you disappoint your father?" Damian said coming over to the couch where Dick was and sat down.
"It's kind of uncomfortable to talk about. I don't want him to think I'm replacing him."
"I don't think your father would think that at all. He would want you to be happy again."
"I am. But…"
"You don't have to explain. I get it. What are you reading anyway?"
"Charlotte's Web."
"You've skipped a grade already and you're reading that?"
"Well I like it. Bruce and I are reading it together but I'm reading ahead a little."
"Mind if I join you?"
"Sure." Dick said and went back to his reading. Damian went to the bookshelf and pulled out Dickens's Classic Novels. He turned to the first chapter titled Great Expectations.
"So this book is all about someone who has great expectations?" Dick looked over and saw what Damian was reading.
"You've never read "Great Expectations?!"
"I had no time for reading while I was in the League of Assassins."
"Mom, Dad and I read this story all the time while we were traveling."
"Really, well perhaps it's time for another lesson." Damian said smiling mischievously at his brother who did the same towards him. An hour later the two boys had fallen asleep on the couch together. Suddenly the door opened and in walked Bruce Wayne with his date of the week Samantha. On the table was a replica of Gotham City.
"A new hobby?"
"An old one actually, the care and feeding of Gotham City."
"That's one of the things that drew us together."
"My father had a saying. Tomorrow is one dream away.' Sentimental words I know but they stayed with me, even after my parents were murdered. Rather than focus on the demons and the darkness, we should now focus on how exceptional this city is. Building another dream tomorrow." Bruce said turning on a button and lights lit up the model making roads and expanding buildings. "Before we can build it, we have to dream it. And luckily I have the imagination and the capital to do it."
"And all they write about is the billionaire playboy."
"Not to worry; he's here too." He said and the two started kissing. That's when loud snoring was heard from behind them. Sleeping on the couch cuddled up together was the two eavesdropping boys. Damian was the first to wake up and realize where he was. That's when he saw his brother sleeping on his chest.
"Get off of me." He said pushing the boy off to the side waking him up as well. "We must have fallen asleep. What's…what's going on?" Damian asked playing the clueless teenager.
"Oh…and who might this be?" Samantha asked and came over.
"I'm Damian. Bruce's…"
"My ward. Well…soon to be. And of course you know about Dick." Bruce interrupted.
"That's twice you surprised me tonight."
"Damian's had a difficult life. I don't want those vultures at the press corp. descending on him just yet. It's bad enough Dick's had to deal with it as it is. So we've been…"
"Keeping me a secret."
"Only until the paperwork is finalized. Then we'll proudly announce the newest addition to our family." Bruce said rubbing Damian's hair. "I'm sorry Samantha. I should have told you."
"No, there's nothing to be sorry for. You've taken in these unfortunate children and given them a better life. You have to do it your way. I respect that." Samantha said literately squeezing Damian's checks together hard. She then went over and started pinching Dick's checks. "I've noticed on T.V that you seem more happier when Dick's around. I guess your way is working perfectly and will work fine with Damian too." That's when her phone rang telling her she had a message. She read it and frowned. "Damn. Emergency board meeting."
"Is everything alright?"
"I'll tell them to reschedule."
"No, you should go. We'll have other nights."
"I look forward to it." She said and the two started kissing again in front of the boys making them cringe and roll their eyes. "And I look forward to seeing you two again." She said shaking each of the boy's hands. "I'll call you tomorrow." She said and left but not without blowing one final kiss at them. As soon as the front door closed, Damian and Dick started laughing.
"That hasn't happened in a while." Dick said rubbing his cheek.
"You two were awake the whole time weren't you?" Bruce asked.
"Not the whole time; she's very attractive though. Very pretentious, definitely a little shallow but…"
"What are you reading?" Bruce asked pulling the book out of Damian's hand.
"Grayson had volunteered to tell me about Dickens. What I do wrong now?"
"Nothing. The fact is… I tore through Dickens when I was just about your age. You ever see the 1948 movie directed by David Lean?"
"Ra's Al Ghul wasn't much of a movie buff."
"Well I am." Bruce said and went over to the speaker on the wall.
"Alfred?"
"Yes sir?"
"Popcorn, drenched in butter. And open up the screening room."
"I'd reconsider the butter sir; Terrible for the cholesterol."
"You know what Alfred? Let's be daring tonight."
"As you wish sir."
"Coming boys?" Bruce said and the two boys looked at each other.
"Okay, but I'm not sharing with Grayson. I want my own bowl." Damian said and the two raced each other to the screening room.
"I think we can afford it." Bruce said and turned off the lights in the room including his model lights and met the boys in the room. After the movie was over, Damian had fallen asleep leaning on his father's shoulder with his own bowl of popcorn with Dick sleeping on the other.
"I'm guessing the evening went well sir?"Alfred asked coming in.
"As well as it could have been." Bruce said and gently pulled Damian off of him laying him down on the sofa while he picked up Dick and carried him to his room tucking him into bed. He then went back for Damian and did the same.
Break*Break*Break
Later that same night, Damian now Robin snuck out of the manor and started to make his way to the 'prison' wall. His first stop was an invisible force-field that was impossible to get through. So he put down an electrical contraption and turned it on. This caused the invisible force-field to turn into a sold rope wall. Now using his baterang, he cut the wall down and continued forward. Unfortunately he forgot about the motion sensors on the ground which once stepped on caused explosions to shoot up and fire. Robin managed to avoid the explosions and was face to face with the wall.
"That's a little better." He said and jumped on the wall but a section of the wall fell over and some metal spikes lifted up out of the top. Damian jumped up grabbing a hold of the spikes. Suddenly the spikes electrocuted him making him let go and fall flat on his back where his father and brother were watching. "That's a lot better." He said and Bruce turned off the security system.
"You didn't really think I'd let you sneak out again."
"You got me under surveillance?!"
"I thought we were making some progress."
"You show me a movie and that gives you the right to keep me a prisoner in my own house?!"
"It's for you and Dick's own protection Damian." He said getting on one knee and touching Damian's shoulder only to be slapped away by Damian.
It's bad enough don't let me out in public as Damian but you let Grayson walk in and out of here freely. The least you can do is let Robin have a life!" Bruce then grabbed his arm and held it tight giving him a look.
"If you're a little more trustworthy then maybe I would." Bruce said and Damian ripped his hand away and turned away from his father.
"You never trusted me!"
"Trust has to be earned Damian."
"That works both ways." He said and stalked off back into the house.
"That's not true Damian." Dick whispered and the two walked back into the house to the Batave. Bruce went to the car and started doing some adjustments.
"Hey Dick can you do me a favor?"
"Sure Bruce."
"You see that owl feather on the table?"
"Yeah."
"Can you put that under the scanner for me please?"
"Okay." Dick said and did as he was told and down the steps came Damian. He looked at his father and without saying anything and walked over to the bat-computer.
"Thanks Dick." Bruce said.
"Hey." Damian said to Dick. Dick looked at Damian for a minute before saying hi back.
"If that had been me dead in those cages…would you have killed him?" Damian asked his father.
"We have to be stronger than our base and instincts."
"Well…what if it was Grayson?"
"What difference do I make?"
"I just need to know." Damian said and looked at his father.
"Dick's right. It doesn't matter who's in trouble and who's…dead. We have to be stronger than them." Bruce said having a hard time saying the word dead.
"Listen, I'm sorry for sneaking out earlier."
"And last night?"
"Not so much. We busted the Dollmaker didn't we? I was raised to be the ultimate soldier; a master assassin. Nothing out there can hurt me."
"Underneath all that armor you're still just a boy."
"If that were true you wouldn't have been taking me out every night to fight psychopathic murders for the past two years."
"Those papers will be signed soon and everything will be different then; you'll see." Batman said and started to walk towards the car again.
"Where are you going?"
"Out."
"What about me?"
"You're the sitter." Batman said and took off in the car without saying another word.
"All security measures on." The computer announced. Damian was not happy at all about the current situation. He was locked in his own house and had to babysit an annoying eight year old. Dick then came over and stood next to him. Damian then gave a mischievous smile at Dick who smiled right back at him.
End of chapter two. Next chapter will be where the family discovers the Court of Owls and what exactly they want. Hope you enjoyed.
LaurenHardy13